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DANBURY -- For the second consecutive year, Danbury has been ranked the safest city in Connecticut.

The city also edged up to No. 29 -- from No. 55 last year -- among the 393 U.S. cities included in the ranking. The closest rank of the other five cities in named in Connecticut was Stamford, which came at No. 92.

The lowest city in Connecticut in the ranking was Hartford, which came in near the bottom of the safe cities list, at No. 370.

Mayor Mark Boughton said making the top of the list two years in a row is a testament to the hard-working men and women in the city's police department.

"Danbury is fortunate to employ some of the best police officers in our area, who show a deep commitment to the safety of our city's citizens and visitors," Boughton said. "Our city is proud of this ranking, and we will continue focusing our efforts and commitment to public safety."

Police Chief Al Baker said while the city's law enforcement officers should be credited for doing a great job, "we couldn't have done this without the trust and cooperation of the community."

"This is something the entire city should be proud of," he said. "Danbury has a lot of good things going for it."

Besides a dedicated police force, Baker said, lots of other factors go into having a low crime rate, including good schools, social services, and a relatively low unemployment rate compared to other cities in the state.

The ranking is done annually by CQ Press as part of its Crime in Metropolitan America series. It uses statistics that include the number of murder, rape, assaults, robbery and vehicle thefts in cities with a population of more than 75,000.

Ben Krasney, a spokesman for CQ Press, said Danbury improved its overall ranking this year because of a decrease in several crimes, including rapes, which declined from 25 in 2007 to 18.8 last year.

The figures are provided as a per capita figure using a population of 100,000 people, so all cities can be compared on the same basis.